Voinovich slams Bolton as hearing begins

U.S. Senator George Voinovich (R-Ohio) slammed President Bush’s nominee for U.N. Ambassador today, as the Senate Foreign Relations Committee began deliberation.

“This administration can do better than that,” Voinovich said in the first big battle of President Bush’s second term

Voinovich said he could not vote for the nomination, but would agree to send it to the floor without a recommendation of approval or disapproval.

Republicans hold a 10-8 advantage on the committee. Without Voinovich’s support, any vote to send the nomination to the floor would deadlock, and thus fail.

Voinovich called Bolton “the poster child of what someone in the diplomatic corps should not be,” and accused him of being “arrogant” and “bullying.”

What he didn’t accuse Bolton of was being a “sexual pervert.” That accusation was left to somebody with expertise in subject, Hustler publisher and outspoken civil libertarian Larry Flynt. According to a press release on his website, Flynt alleges that Bolton’s first wife fled the couple’s home while he was traveling abroad in 1982, after being forced by her husband to engage in group sex. (She also took all the furniture.)

Corroborated allegations that Mr. Bolton’s first wife, Christina Bolton, was forced to engage in group sex have not been refuted by the State Department despite inquires posed by Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt concerning the allegations. Mr. Flynt has obtained information from numerous sources that Mr. Bolton participated in paid visits to Plato’s Retreat, the popular swingers club that operated in New York City in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

“The first Mrs. Bolton’s conduct raises the presumption that she fled out of fear for her safety or, at a minimum, it demonstrates that Mr. Bolton’s established inability to communicate or work respectfully with others extended to his intimate family relations,” said Mr. Flynt. “The court records alone provide sufficient basis for further investigation of nominee Bolton by the Senate.” Mr. Flynt continued, “The U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations must be free of any potential source of disrepute or blackmail.”

Okay… perhaps Flynt isn’t the most unimpeachable source, but he has a long history of successfully defending himself against slander suits… and it is hard to argue with his reasoning that these charges deserve further investigation.

UPDATE: In an unusual — but expected — move, the Foreign Relations Committee has sent Bolton’s nomination to the Senate floor, but without an endorsement. The Committee’s vote was 10-8, along party lines.

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Comments

It looks like Voinovich is going to vote against Bolton before he votes for him…. I’ll be really suprised if Bolton does not make it through, but it says something about Bush’s arrogance in nominating Bolton and the weakness of the White House post-election that they are having this much trouble getting his nomination through their own party.

Nindid…Bush isn’t being arrogant; he’s just being Bush. That Bolton will likely be confirmed actually speaks to the continuing strength of the White House. Unfortunately for America, that strength comes from the nature of the Republican Party, where party discipline almost always trumps principle. Or perhaps it is fairer to say that acceding to a Republican president’s agenda is the party’s first principle.

I forgot to add, that the first principle of even Republican Senators/Representatives is to be re-elected, so perhaps some of that party discipline will break down the nearer we get to the 2006 elections.

Whoever @ 4 wrote, “Excuse me, it is the RIGHT and the PRIVELEGE of the President to name whomever he wants, despite the caterwauling and whining of the pouting out of power party.”

And it is the job of the Senate to advise and consent to that selection.

Alexander Hamilton stated:

“It will be the office of the President to NOMINATE, and, with the advice and consent of the Senate, to APPOINT. There will, of course, be no exertion of CHOICE on the part of the Senate. They may defeat one choice of the Executive, and oblige him to make another; but they cannot themselves CHOOSE, they can only ratify or reject the choice of the President. They might even entertain a preference to some other person, at the very moment they were assenting to the one proposed, because there might be no positive ground of opposition to him; and they could not be sure, if they withheld their assent, that the subsequent nomination would fall upon their own favorite, or upon any other person in their estimation more meritorious than the one rejected. …”

The Bolton nomination exemplifies how the current GOP mindset is different from anything in our country’s recent history — and so very dangerous to the future of our democracy. Even when they were a minority, Republicans always had a say in legislation, policies, and appointments. But the neocons are hell-bent on one-party rule, and now that they’re in power, are throwing consultation, negotiation, and compromise to the winds. They would rather put a psycho in charge of our U.N. diplomacy than let any Democrat get a word in edgewise, no matter how moderate and well-reasoned the Democratic opinion might be. This bodes ill for our country, and even bona fide conservatives should be frightened of the current administration’s arrogance and abuse of power. If this continues, the destruction of our once-great nation is just around the corner.

Actually yes, I do find it incredibly arrogant to nominate Bolton to what is arguably the second highest diplomatic position in the country. The last adjective in the dictionary you would apply to Bolton would be â€˜diplomaticâ€™. You COULD call him a vindictive bully with an overactive sense of self-importance â€“ and that is just what his Republican supporters say.

I suppose Bush could have forced through the nomination of Barney â€“ his dog â€“ as Ambassador to the UN, but at least Barney would have the advantage of being cute and have a better chance then Bolton of not pissing on the leg of real diplomats.

There is one other Superpower in this world. It is the rest of the world. We are on a collision course with that world. If anyone survives this current administration and we can get this country back on a sane course, all the people defending this crazy neo-con travesty should be willing to take some of their much touted “personal responsibility” for the results of their irresponsibility. But I think, realistically, that it will be like trying to find someone who voted for Nixon after Watergate.

Bolton will kick butt in the UN. He is the PERFECT man for the job. After all, we send our representative to the UN to work FOR our interests rather than against them. An organization that kicks the US off the human rights committee while installing Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and Libya as chairs has got their heads up the butt.

pbj – You watch just how beneficial a John Bolton will end up being to our best interests. Every move Bush has ever made that managed to bring the world together with the U.S. (and I say that knowing just how pathetically inept he has been at producing any positive results in foreign relations) came only after he let go of his stubborn isolationist approach and opened up to working with the world. John Bolton will not fare any differently as a disdainful, comtemptuous mouth piece of the U.S.A. within the U.N.

PBJ @ 23 – Did you miss the part where Voinovich voted for Bolton? Wow, those Republican principles sure run deep. ‘The man is an arrogant bully, but I can’t vote against the president…’ Yep, no lock(goose?)-step here.

Bolton is the best guy for the job just like Bush is the best guy for the job. Is Bush the best guy you retards could come up with for president? It’s hard to have much faith in your nominations when you elect a guy as dumb a Bush. The rest of the world is laughing at us, thanks a lot. I have to explain to my friends in other countries that not all Americans are complete fucking idiots. You people make me want to puke, fuck you all.

You know, the original “Kool-Aid Drinkers” that you refer to were all born-again Christians who followed a charismatic leader. Sound familiar? You’re the real Kool-Aid people. You think that a guy who died over 2000 years ago is going to come back and save you. That’s crazy!

Bush has done plenty of great things in the foreign policy arena, you just refuse to acknowledge it.

Freed 50 million people from oppressive regimes in Afghanistan and Iraq. After 911, the only people against going after the terrorists in Afghanistan were Democrats like Barbara Lee of Berkley.

Brought democratic elections to Iraq – something all the Democrats swore would never happen. Ted Kennedy wanted to cut and run. Now they are forming a government and every day the Democrat press looks for nit picking thing to rant about. Is it perfect in Iraq? No, but the mere fact they had elections has spawned reforms and even revolutions such as the Cedar Revolution. When Democrats ran things, Syrian troops occupied Lebanon and CNN’s Eason Jordon slanted news the way Saddam Hussein wanted it. Now the Syrians have pulled out of Lebanon. Why? Because they saw Iraqi’s braving terrorist bombers for the privilege of voting and were inspired to demonstrate for their own democracy.

Bolton will make sure that no more oil for food scandals take place. Unlike Madeline Albright, he won’t put currying the favor of intellectuals from Europe above the national security of the United States of America.

And hey, the last benefit of Bolton being the UN is watching you liberals whine about it for the next four years. But that is just a side benefit.

Also, Syria was kicked out of Lebanon because of an assassination, not necessarily any elections.

How can Bolton make sure no more oil for food scandals take place, when it was the US who engineered much of the kickbacks in the first place–or at least winked at them with full knowledge they were happening?

Righton, if you recall Volcker found Annan was not involved. If you review the report, you’ll discover that as much as 11bil of the kickbacks were known to the US and Britain; they allowed Saddam to collect because they felt it was in our best interest at the time. Without addressing whether it was or not, to feign surprise and anger about it now, is preposterous. We facilitated it.

It’s exactly that kind of attitude that people don’t vote for, but hey, it makes you happy, and Karl Rove too.

Look, what is the real gripe against Bolton? He’s a lousy boss? Most of Congress would have to resign if that was a disqualifier. That “he won’t work well with the UN”? You’re assuming the UN is currently a well run organization, which it is not. The UN sat (and still sits) on its collective rears through genocides in recent memory – while at the same time being probably the most corrupt international organization out there. If not for the leadership of the United States, over the objections of the UN, Saddam, the Taliban, and (much credit to Bill Clinton) Milosevic would still be in power. Why on earth should we sit back and not demand change? Since when is change not going to controverserial? Even with all of that, the UN ambassador works at the President’s pleasure and carries out his orders, so the person is not as important as the policy.

jon, the real gripe is that he’d make a lousy diplomat, and he was a fuckup in his current job. It’s not the intimidation IMO, it’s what it was for–to get intel that matched his own skewed worldview. The things he claimed were true, and badgered underlings to support him on, were in fact NOT true. That’s a disservice to national security. There is some evidence he withheld certain information from going up the chain, specifically to Powell and Rice. That’s a serious problem for national security. And he was in charge of the US role in the nuclear proliferation summit, and TOTALLY dropped the ball. We were almost laughed out of there for being so unprepared.

The job of a diplomat is to be ANYTHING but a shameless ideologue. That’s what Bolton is, to a T.

40 years of liberalism were good for America. We have a 40-hour work week, overtime pay, worker safety rules, unemployment insurance, injured worker benefits, veterans benefits, public education, social security, Medicare, and much more because of the liberals you criticize so flippantly.

And what has 4 years of G. W. Bush given us?

1. He got us into a war by lying to us, that is costing American lives every day, and that he can’t get us out of.

2. The price of gas has doubled, food prices are rising, over 1 million people a year lose their health coverage, private pension systems are going broke, and shareholders are being robbed by greedy CEOs and crooked corporations.

3. Workers rights and protections are being rolled back across the board.

4. Bush is proposing to cut Social Security benefits for the middle class while creating trillions of new deficits!

Yes, let’s make them take personal responsibility for what they’ve done not only to themselves but also to the rest of us. Let’s take names, so when they try to conveniently forget they voted for Bush, we can remind them. Preferably not in a gentle way. After this neocon madness has run its course and is finally over, the people who voted for it should be treated like ex-felons … they’re allowed to rejoin society, but respectable folks always keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t misbehave again.

wrong @42 – And yet any honest observer would look at the two lists and have no question that Bush has caused us a lot more trouble. Who would have thought that Clinton would become the ‘good old days’ quite so quickly.

rightoff @ 44, and isn’t it just amazing how you and your saviour, GWB, destroyed the economy in such a short time, destroyed what little partisanship we had in politics, bent over to the ‘whims’ of the ultra right neo cons, etc. What a hell of a mess you and your type will leave for more sensible people/party to try and fix.

Sorry drivel; i actually voted Kerrey in protest over his spending and Iraq, so hard to diminish me by suggesting my swami has control over me. You guys on the other hand wake to the drum beat of your political directors…lets see what’s the cause this week? Bolton, gay weddings, stripping religious expression in the public place, transgender, money to study the homeless.

Ultra right is Barry Goldwater. WE’ve drifted so far left that a big spending guy like bush is considered right wing to you guys Ha!

Bolton represents this administration PERFECTLY. He may not represent the best ot the American people, but he represents the best of this admnistration perfectly. Herbalizer, don’t worry. People in other countries are able to separate individuals from a given administration. Bolton will be seen exactly for what he is – a Bush alter-ego. Bush couldn’t find a better legacy than Bolton to give to history. It is Bush who will be remembered for Bolton, and held accountable for it, not the American people. Marilyn

Bolton will be UN embassador, and by the way you democrats better grab your ass because Bush’s supreme court justices will get their vote too, and we will have new Conservative judges in lifetime positions. Get used to it, it’s going to happen!

And I don’t even want to hear running over the rights of the other party. Your state libs are massively running over the rights of the citizens and minority party in this state.

wow GS, if that happens we can get intimate with some wacko group like your party has with the theocons. Then we can call for ‘harm’ to all ridiculous winger judges and sit back and say we didn’t really mean it. Time will tell won’t it. But it does look like your guy Bolton will have a problem with the Senate, and he will be a ridiculous idiot as part of the UN. The US will probably be voted out of what few committees they still have standing with.

Yes the UN has really been such a leader in the last few years. Oil for food plan making everone rich except the people it was designed to help. Syria in charge of Human rights?

Yes it is time for a Bolton in the UN! We will survive in the UN despite your predictions! You people demonize everyone that is put up, no one gets a vote, until your no no politics is totally ignored. After watching what the lies and overregulation going on in this state right now, I am happy to see backbone in Washington DC!

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